The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-25
IRISH EVICTIONS.
Editor O'Brien Attacks Lord
LandSdOwne in Montreal.
Describing Scenes on the Governor
Generals Estates in Ireland.

Editor William O'Brien, the Irish newspa
per proprietor who has come to America fol
the purpose of denouncing the policy pur
sued by the Canadian Governor General
Lord Landsdowne, in his treatment of his ten
ants in Ireland, was received with great en-
thusiasm in Montreal. A Montreal dispatch
gives the following account of his first pub
lie appearance:
At S p NJ Mr. O'Brien was escorted by
twelve picked friends to Albert Hall, on Rode
gonde street. Most of the escort carried re-
Volvers under their coats No personal Vlo.
lence to O'Brien was feared, but threats had
been made, and it was deemed best to
be careful. Two of the escort carried
sword canes. Albert Hall is one of
the largest in the city, seating 1900
persons. Tickets were sold to the lecture at
twenty-five cents, fifty cents and one dollar:
The hall was the scene of the famous GavazA
riots years ago. Tonight it was crowded to
were filed with well-dressed ladies
and gentlemen. Th.re wa, a motley
crowd Of French, Irish and Canadians
in the gallery. The audience grew
very boisterouS before the red stage
curtain rose, disclosing Mr.. O'Brien seated
upon the platform: surrounded by number
of prominent Irishmen, among whom we're
President Cloran of the National League, Car
roll Ryan, Edward Nagle, John P. Whslan
Dennis Barry, Michael Donovan, and others
The men cheered again and again.
and waved their hats and handkerchiefs in
the air. The women jumped on the seats and
waved their shawls. The ovation lasted ten
minutes before Mr.. Cloran rose to introduce
Mr.. O'Brien. Mr. Cloran's speech and intro
duction lasted twenty minutes, and was loudly
cheered. There was another ten minutes
frantic applause when Mr.. O'Brien stepped
to the front of the platform. When the
cheers and screams subsided, Mr.. OBrien
said in part:
II desire at the outset to tackle the question
why have come to Canada, to ask hearing,
and to ask your sympathy. will tell you in
one word-because the homes of the people of
Luggacurran, far away in Ireland, are desc
late tonight, and because the man who is re-
sponsible for it is here in. the highest post of
honor in this great, free land.
1T is no pleasure to us to worry you with
our grievances, but where else are we to turn
when Lord Landsdowne sends thesoldiers and
armed police to dispossess every tenant in
and to fling the old men and
little children out by the bitches?
1--WE do not come to ask you for 920, 900
for charity any more, but to ask you to con-
slider what use Lord Landsdowne is making Of
the e20, 900 year which you give him or
which you enable him to get; and if that be
put to bad and inhuman use we ask you to
convey your censure of Lord Landsdowne, as
you have perfect right to do as the free cit
liens of self-governing nation.
"The object of the Coercion bill is to enable
men like Lord Landsdowne to wiring intoler-
able rack rent out of Irish tenants. Its OBJ
10, fa fO,
to desolate the homes of Ireland as Lord
Landsdowne has desolated the homes Of
Luggacurran Its object is to gag us if we
don't lie down and submit to it like whipped
hounds.
1.-THE day you send Lord Landsdowne home
with the stamp of Canadian disaffection on
his brow, you will enable us to laugh at
coercion and strengthen the arms of Glad
stone to put an end to evictions for all time.
Lord Landsdowne is laying waste an entire
stretch of country miles long as completely
cabin door in these valleys and devoted every
nan, woman, and child to destruction. AS
soon as he will have obtained his next batch
If ejectment DEGREES, he will have made a
lean sweep of the property, and, except
Lord Landsdowne's own baliffS and creatures,
The whole population will have been banished
md their homes will know them no more"
Mr.. OBrien then quoted from lengthy re-
oorts in the Dublin Freeman's Journal Of the
,victions on Lord Landsdowne's estate, with
readings such as lone hundred and twenty
,eople evicted, Sixty persons left homeless
'One hundred and seventy human beings
,victed," and so on. Then he described Incl
lents attending some of the evictions, as fol-
ows:
"Infrm old women, aged eighty and odd
,ears, whose tottering steps had to be guided
,ut of their little homeSteads, were put out
n the piriless storm of hail and snow. The
old March blast blew around them, and the
,oor creatures cried bitterly. Old men over
ninety years Of age were told to clear out
The delicate mother, with her babe only
ortnight old clasped in her arms, stood
hivering outside, while the emergency
mem pitched out her little belongings.
The emergency men were there with sledge
hammers, crowbars, ladders, saws and
latchets, to pull down the house and smash
he furniture. A miserable thatched cottage
nto which the rain poured through the roof,
occupied by tenant named Henry Mulhall,
vas entered by the Sheriff. On chair near
he fire was a poor old woman,
Who did not seem to realize that she
vas going to be put out Of the house which
lad sheltered her from her childhood. 1t was
aiming at the time, and she was put out on
he roadside in the pitiless storm. These are
/ few typical cases of the hundreds of evic-
ions that have been going on on Lord Lands
lowne's Queens county estates.
1.-THE Luggacurran tenants were honest
peaceful, and inofensive. So far as crime is
the locality Is simply stainless.
During these barbarous evictioils not blow
was struck nor stone flung; and
what nave these people ever done
hat they should he robbed of home and
and! Simply sought abatements in their
acknowledgements less than Earl Cowpers
-oval Commission. Landlord Commission
appointed by Tory Government, declared
% be equitable: less even than the Land Com
mission Courts are granting on nelghborlng
states, and, finally reductions to which Lord
Landsdowne'S own arbitrator, Mr.. Dennlng, .
gave his assent and approval in black and
white
Mr.. O'Brien showed that the reductions
made by the Land Commissioners in neigh
ooring estates averaged from forty to fifty
Der cent, and said that Lord Landsdownes
own ne5otiator, Mr.. Denning, suggested re-
'.,rtion of fifteen per cent. while the tenants
'or oeace;s sa:sss, were willing to accept he
aid in conclusion:
" claim, therefore, that Lord LandsdoWne
stands condemned, and that the justice and
moderation of the tenants claim are as clear
and convincing az ever Gods blessing shed
lpon righteous cause. Lord LandsdowneSS
savage sentence against the tenants closed
with Mr.. Dennirg's offer Lord Landsdowne
the tenants moderation into weak
ness. He construed Canadian forbearance
into indifference to the cry of suffer
ing from Ireland, and the terms his chosen
suggested and agreed to were
thrust aside. The next news we
got from Ottawa was that Lord Landsdowne
threatened us with hot, if not bloody, re
ception if we ventured to Canada to proclaim
the wrongs of the Irish tenantry. | appeal
to the people of Canada against Lord Lands